1.Everyone shall possess the right to freely express and publicise his thoughts in words, images or by any other means, as well as the right to inform others, inform himself and be informed without hindrance or discrimination
2.Exercise of the said rights shall not be hindered or limited by any type or form of censorship
Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Article 37.º

The many victims of the McCann Media Campaign

Since 2007, May 3rd the McCann couple, their family, their lawyers and their media spinners have entered in our TV’s, in our newspapers, in our houses.

I am not going to dwell much on the perversity that was for the McCanns to make a media spot where an appeal was made to Madeleine McCann’s abductor to the innocent children who went to watch the movie Shrek 3 and ended up being terrified; nor I’m going to make any comments on articles sanctioned by the McCanns which might evidence to any sane and responsible person that psychological harm is being done to Madeleine’s remaining bother and sister, Sean and Amelie, who play games like ‘Find the monster that took Maddie’ or who after three years allegedly state things like “She's been taken, when we find who took her, we'll fight them” even though in the McCanns documentary produced by Mentorn media/Channel 4 , the twins seemed practically oblivious of Madeleine, in the kitchen scene where Kate almost forces them to paint the name of their eldest sister. No, this is not the aim of this article.

I am going to remember the other victims of this case, the silent ones, the ones who had their names and faces plastered in the worldwide media, cover pages and TV, the ones who were used and abused by the media and by the McCann media team, the ones who do not have the money nor the know-how to hire Carter Ruck, Isabel Duarte, Rogério Alves, Ed Smethurst, and other lawyers to protect their rights. Victims of vicious games played by those who exploit anyone to sell more newspapers or have more audience ratings, and by those who ‘leak’ to the media sightings, names, photographs, already classified as irrelevant by the proper Police authorities in an attempt to conceal, cover up and confuse since 2007 a criminal investigation and its conclusions.

Let us start with Mari Luz Cortes, a little 5 years old girl, who disappeared in Huelva, Spain on the 13th of January 2008, whose body was later found on 7th March, in a river. The assassin, a former convicted paedophile, Santiago del Valle García was arrested on the 25th of the same month.

At the time of Mari Luz Cortes disappearence what did the McCanns do?

Writing on his blog, Gerry McCann said:

«Kate and I were dismayed to learn today that a 5-year-old girl has been missing from Huelva, in Southern Spain since Sunday evening. As many of you know, Heulva is approximately a 2 hour drive from Praia da Luz and we went there in early August to publicise Madeleine’s disappearance. Hearing of the probable abduction of Mari Luz Cortesa [sic] has brought many awful emotions flooding back. We hope and pray that Mari is quickly found and returned safely to her family. - Day 257 - 15/01/2008»

Then the McCanns decided to use Mari’s image without her parents consent

«Mari Luz Cortes parents have made clear their rejection of the possibility that their daughter should appear on the posters together with the British girl Madeleine McCann, because of their understanding that the investigations of both disappearances are following different lines.» in Público.es

«In statements made to journalists after a meeting with Manuel Chaves, Mari’s father, Juan José Cortes, confirmed that the family “had not given their permission” because “it is not the appropriate strategy to mix both cases nor that Mari Luz should have to be related to the case of Madeleine”.

“They are two totally different cases with two lines of inquiry that are completely different” according to Juan José Cortes, who announced his intention of making a complaint before the British Embassy “so that a reprimand is made to the person responsible for this”.» in Huelva, Europa Press

And the McCanns answer was:

« It is shameful that Mari Luz's father presents complaints

It is "surprising and shameful that Mari Luz's father presents complaints about us in a press release". This was the reaction of Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns when he was informed by the 24 Horas that the father of Juan Cortes does not authorise the distribution of the 18 thousand posters with the images of Maddie and the Spanish girl in Spain and Portugal.

"We regret the confusion. We only wanted to help Mari Luz's family and honestly we thought we had permission from the girl's father to this joint campaign", said Clarence Mitchell. The problem is that the 18 thousand posters were already sent by post, last Thursday to Spain. "Our only hope is that the owners of schools, restaurants and other public places are aware of the reaction of Mr. Juan Cortés and do not display the posters", said the spokesman of Kate and Gerry McCann.» in 24 Horas

And from McCanns cyber-bullies old site:

«Helping To Find Madeleine (HTFM) is pleased to announce that it has undertaken a further mailing project to raise awareness of the disappearance [sic] of Madeleine McCann, Yeremi Vargas and Mari Luiz [sic] Cortez throughout Spain and the Islands of Ceuta and Mellilla.

As expected, the British Media, the McCann's Team and Clarence Mitchell tried to spin the story that the cases of Mari Luz Cortes and Madeleine's Case were somehow connected. At least by proximity, since Mari Luz lived in Huelva, Spain just 2 hours away from Praia da Luz, Portugal, and that was more than enough reason to use the Cortes family nightmare to benefit their own agendas.

Telegraph: Private detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are looking into possible links with the recent disappearance of a five-year-old Spanish girl in the same area.

Leicester Mercury: The development came as police began searching for a five-year-old Spanish boy [sic] apparently abducted on Sunday evening. It is only 120 miles from Praia da Luz. Officers are investigating a travelling circus in the area at the time.

Mirror: Officers have linked the case to Madeleine, according to reports. The island (Gran Canaria, Spain) is just a short plane of ferry ride from Portugal. [obviously, there are no ferry rides from Portugal to GC]

Whether Maddie is alive or dead, what’s important is to talk about the issue. And to do it emotionally. “It’s information management in times of crisis,” they say.

Every time some news comes up that is not favourable to the McCann family as regards the disappearance of Maddie, another news imposes itself favouring the missing child in the Algarve. From vigils, evocations, storytelling, YouTube movies, there are situations that repeat themselves and leave in the air the feeling that the positive overcomes the negative. “The strategy of the McCanns is well implemented, it has a spokesperson and composes the campaigns, studies how they should be carried out, where they are to be placed. Some of them are carried out in a mystifying way, others in a surgical way,” explains Francisco Moita Flores, an ex-investigator of the PJ and a commentator of the case.

Edson Athayde, a specialist in communications, without wanting to state that this is the case with the McCanns, believes that “this behaviour is typical of a crisis management situation.” And he says: “When it is installed in the media, interesting factoids may be produced that eliminate the facts”. (…)However, Edson argues that this may not stay confined to the South of Spain. “Soon we may even have the Maddie of Brazil, the Maddie of France… The media attention will concentrate on those places until the public is tired”.»

As anything changed?....

A brief epilogue to the Cortes family tragedy

Mari Luz parents initiated in May of that same year, in 2008, a petition campaign in which they pledged for tougher laws on convicted paedophiles. The Spanish president, José Luís Zapatero, received them and as a result, after some controversy and national debate, Spain adopted the creation of paedophile database registry only accessible to the judicial authorities, in order to protect the constitutional rights of the sex offenders.

Well it does not matter does it? It is blatantly obvious that the media in the UK is not regulated, even if one makes one or one thousand complaints to the PCC, the UK press independent self-regulatory body - which clearly states in its code of practice:

«The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published.

A child under 16 must not be interviewed or photographed on issues involving their own or another child’s welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents.»

No corrections were made or apologies issued to most, if to any, of the above mentioned children and adults.

As a final note, I leave a question to the readers, does anyone else find it strangely coincidental that each time the McCanns, their lawyers and spinning team were given information from the Process to the investigation of their daughter Madeleine that same documentation ended up, somehow, being published in the UK media, or is it just my impression?

We are still waiting for the McCanns to ask the Portuguese Public Ministry to re-open the process. And so is Madeleine.

The many victims of the McCann Media Campaign
Reviewed by Joana Morais
on
18:51
Rating: 5

The "Punch and Judy" photograph with the twins is possibly the most repellent I've ever seen. When justice is brought to bear on the odious pair, that photograph will pass into infamy, just like the famous mugshots of Hindley and Brady.

Excellent article. It could be a much much longer list of people damaged by the mccann team tactics - Robert Murat's daughter, for example, not to mention the Smith family and the family of Hewlett. And the mccanns aren't finished yet. There are lots more photos in the file they've just got their grubby hands on that will be leaked to the press. If you are the parent of a young girl I would be seriuosly worried; sooner or later you may open your morning paper and find your daughter's photo staring back at you. Everyone is fair game to team mccann.

It could be much longer as you say Judy, but today I am tired, tired of watching the same unforgivable mistakes being repeated by the McCanns and by the media, and my English is not sufficiently good to express the full scope of what could and stills needs to be said on the many casualties of this affair.

Very good of you to highlight the UK PCC's code of practice which, judging by the events of the past week at the very least, there is utter disregard for. But what is even more disturbing is the cavalier manner in which they pen stories and print photos that expose children and adults alike to danger. My question is why? What do they have to gain? Do they not themselves have a code of ethics? Sensationalism may sell papers to the gullible but have they no consideration for their own professional reputations, their own exposure to legal suits both by the 'accused' and in the event of the 'accused' coming to harm as a result of what they write and print?

I suppose the other question is what is the point of the press if one cannot trust that whatever they publish has been properly researched, presents a balanced view and will stand up to scrutiny?

Anonymous 7, use it as you wish [except for commercial purposes ;)], as a starting point to an email letter, or print it as pdf an send it as it is ... not sure if the PCC will act now, they have failed consistently to act since 2007. Good luck, anyway!

Sorry, Joana, I didn't mean to imply any criticism of your article. it really is excellent; I don't think anyone would ever be able to produce an exhaustive list of all the people damaged by the mccanns, there are simply far too many. And your English is excellent, by the way.

Excellent article Joana. Today's Daily Star has to be one of the worst front pages ever for showing the face of a little girl who clearly has no connection to Madeleine McCann whatsoever but they create a headline to give that impression. Appalling behaviour and the McCanns and their team would surely have approved this before it went to press. That is the law isn't it?

I wonder what percentage of the portugueses know how this country is being treated by a lot of UK media. Not enough probably for our leaders to take any measure about that.Let's try to understand the UK media : whenever they are about to write on some kind of potential libel matter, they have to balance the benefits and costs. It is unbearable. So when they are offered the oportunity to say the worst preferentially about Portugueses sardines, authorities, police, gypsies etc. they do it. It's for them a kind of compensation and it sells their self called newspapers as it makes every British creature feel really superior...

In fact they could curse the weather as well, I've never seen, in 30 yrs almost, so many rainy days in this country !

There is a two page article about Robert Murat in the Público today and how he suffered with the accusations of the Tapas friends. Pretty good article for the Público who used to support the parents. Robert Murat asks why would those three friends of the McCanns accuse him unless they had something to hide. "Nobody lies without a reason". He confirmed that GPS's have been put in his car and the first time the PJ deactivated it for him. And the last time was about 3 months ago. A British newspaper offered his wife £ 200.000,00 if she would say that he was a paedophile but she refused.

Can anyone explain to me why the "black and white" photos contained in the PJ files, as appearing on Pamalam site, are indecipherable? The only photos that I can decipher are the grey scale ones of David Payne with little girls on his knee getting a big hug.

Jo, the thought of Mari Luz's parents and how they were bullied and abused at such a devastating time for them makes me very sad indeed and so I will comment on something else you said.

I do believe that Gerry McCann has himself made sure that dog/death claims etc were heavily reported in the UK media, so that he could cash in! I also think he is the author/organiser of some of the blogs and very deliberately created a "blog war" with the abusive comments, just to continue to sensationalise the issues and make it an even more valuable news commodity for him to sell, The Kate and Gerry Show as he calls it. I think some things he has done, he was given both legal and PR advice to stop, ie. his inane blogging where it was incredibly apparent he just sought to sell the mundane details of their lives, truly believing the public would be fascinated just as much as they are with the likes of the Beckhams. He overvalued the interest in that regard, failed to understand the public interest is in Madeleine and Justice, and we do not wish to discuss what time they get out of bed and shower, but the vile things they have said and done to deny justice. In short we see nothing nice about them in a curious and inane way, we see something horrifying about them.

The UK media are his puppets and he enjoys playing with them, but I also believe that when the UK media have the chance to print the truth, rather than that where they show such disgregard for others, but every regard for what they can make out of it, they will not spare Gerry McCann.

The newspapers running with those bogus sightings using innocent children in the process is absolutely disgusting! I wish they would at list pixel out their faces. Why aren't the oh so concerned CEOP and social services protesting about? Only the McCann twins are worth protecting? Other children and their families doesn't deserve privacy?

Apart from that, I think the press is very clearly showing us why this sightings were in the file marked "irrelevant".

Reading the above made me realise that I haven't really been following this case, despite bordering on the obsessive.

Crisis management really is that, the fight and flight of people trying to save their own necks at the expense of anything that might help their cause or get in the way.

Crisis management should die a natural death, like the PR of politics in the past, its old fashioned, old hat, and down right dirty.

But the net does present a chance to counteract the cynical business, it just needs numbers and organisation behind it. Whether it's politics, oil spilling, chemical spilling, malpractice, dodgy research, or a child who has disappeared at the hand of it's parents.

And it can provide an alternative to the mainstream media.

But we know that already. I'd like to say it's a battle between the dark forces of manipulation versus the light ( I'm not religious). The toolkit is there though. All we have to do is be ready to use it. Not spouting conspiracies, just shining a light on the truth.

Bravo Joana, bravo!I thank heaven that my grandchildren are beyond the age where they could be mistaken for Maddie.Have we really reached the point now where children are going to be forced to carry ID to prove that they are not her, in order to avoid further exploitation by the McCanns, their PR machine and their friends in the tabloids? Of course, ID is no use whatsoever if someone decides to spontaneously snatch a child because she looks similar. God knows what trauma and injury may occur during an incident like that.This deliberate and cynical mistreatment of other people's children has to stop NOW!

And as a small aside, a message for David Cameron.Hey Dave, you had just about won me over. I was prepared to go and vote for the first time in ages. For you.

Couldn't possibly vote for you now though. Two words - Clarence Mitchell.

They claim privacy for them and their twins and at the same time expose innocent families and innocent childs in the Media, without asking permission for that or advising the people involved that they are going to do it. THIS MCCANN'S ARE IMMORAL. THEY VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF EVERYBODY, ACTING ABOVE THE LAW AS UNTOUCHABLE- THIS IS ANOTHER CRIME TO ADD TOO MANY OTHERS CONNECTED TO THEIR NAME.

ShuBob, it's deplorable. You'd think anyone with two brains to rub together would see through the whole charade. Yet no one is reining them in. For the media it's selling papers and for the PR firms and lawyers it's raking in the money. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a sham played out in public with the tacit approval of the powers-that-be. How can they all sit back and watch this farce being played out day after day? It's beyond belief.

"We are still waiting for the McCanns to ask the Portuguese Public Ministry to re-open the process. And so is Madeleine."

It's Isabel Duarte's fault! She must be very busy and did not yet find a moment to file for the reopening on behalf of her clients!She said (about the request for reopening the process) that she and her associates in her legal firm, were going to "study" the best was to do it, the possibilities, or something in those lines. Well, I'm no lawyer, but I believe it only takes a formal request from Mr. and Mrs. McCann, they just have to state Mrs. McCann willingness to duly answer the 48 questions or to agree to a reconstruction, or to finally reveal to the police that unequivocal piece of evidence that immediately made Kate so sure that Maddie was abducted!That must be it, she has been very busy indeed, afterall the McCanns are not her only clients (yet...), it's her fault, not the McCanns'!

If only the McCanns and Tapas friends would agree to a re-construction; Mrs McCann answer the questions; I think that the majority of the public would welcome this and support this action as a positive step instead of all the miss-mash publicity that appears to shroud this case.

What is so sad (in my opinion) is that Maddie seems to be the icon of lawyers and private detectives.

The Sun has a picture of a group of children taken from the CBC Newsworld tape. The child circled is the one someone claimed to be Madeleine. Obviously the child is older than Madeleine would have been at the time. It is bad enough that this particular little girl is having her image published and displayed on the internet, but why did the other children in the choir have to be included?

There was that little girl in Bosnia also, back in summer 2007 if memory serves me well.

How very interesting that the PCC guidelines specify:

A child under 16 must not be interviewed or photographed on issues involving their own or another child’s welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents.»

I wonder if they would act the same way if it were a sighting in Britain? I guess not - it is easy to "forget" your standards when the people involved live far away and have absolutely no means of taking counter-action.

I am also one that is grateful I have no female child that resembles Madeleine because the McCanns, predators as they are, might target her. That they have absolutely no shame in publishing pictures of innocent little girls is beyond my comprehension. And the media....just plays along, like mindless little soldiers. Truly is disgusting.

Viv @ 24 I cannot wait for the day gerry mccann falls from a great height. I do not think I have taken such an intense dislike to someone I do not know before but he just makes me quite sick, as soon as I heard him go on about they had to look after themselves I turned against them completely and it has been all about them ever since as far as I am concerned. I just wish the scales would fall from everyones eyes and they would see those two for what they are.

Hopefully things are beginning to swing the other way, especially with Robert Murat and his lawyer speaking out at last. (Thanks Astro for those two articles)

In Thursday Daily Star there were photos of a family splashed on the pages claiming they "Have kidnapped Maddie and put her in a black wig" and the proof is there for all the world to se ...A rag doll on the carseat with black wool hair ,you couldnt make it up f you tried ,Moler 42 , I agree I cannot ever remember having such utter hatred for 2 people I have never met ,and who have done nothing wrong personally to me or my family ,I pray I never bump into them because I know I would get arrested and Im not a violent person ,but these two are laughing at the good people of the world

Brilliant, Joanna, Just Brilliant!!!!Wake up citizens of the U.K. you are being decieved by a whole bunch of unscrupulous money grabbing lowlifes.Wonderful, Joanna. I hope someone in our press runs with this article.

I was interested to note that at the last court hearing in Portugal he was very careful when he spoke to Sandra Filgeiras, not leaning towards her and thrashing his arms around in such a hostile way, abusive and threatening way.. Instead he stood very still, head straight up, arms at sides, and kept those facial contortions of rage thoroughly checked on this occasion. Too late Gerry! Sometimes, I think he does listen to his advisors but it is always too late and he always feel he can act on his own initiative, because at the end of the day, he is the master spinner and he thinks he knows best. An example of this being, they say to Ms Duarte, look at all these uninvestigated sightings of Maddie the PJ did not bother to deal with. So she says, right, we must demand the process gets re-opened and demand these PJs do investigate it. Oh no thinks Gerry, I cannot have the PJs open the case again they know it was me and so do Brit cops. So what does he do, immediately tell Clarence to issue a contradictory press statement, there must be a review. Of course they cannot say who is to conduct that review because Gerry hates the cops, both sides of the water and they are none too struck on him either.

Moler thanks for your comments. I do not know whether you ever read my blog Justice for Maddie and the Twins, but I have never demonstrated any doubt what I think of Gerry McCann. A narcisstic pscyopath who is so evil and twisted he even had his supporters, pretending to be "antis" on the internet so that he could make more cash out of claims against them. In the same way he refused to allow the PCC to intervene and stop those reports in the UK press about him, he wanted them to cashin, which of course, he did. In a recent video he commented that his lawyer Ms Duarte advises and has details about yet more legal actions planned. He has a self destruct button and he pressed it a long time ago.

This is a man who is perfectly capable of murdering or selling Madeleine and I think people are beginning to realise that.

That same night, at about 2 am, he handed GNR officers 2 x 2 6 x 4 photographs on Kodak Extralife paper, paper not used in Portugal so far as I know and from the investigations of the PJs. But it is used in photographic outlets around his home area!!

One of those pictures was of Maddie done up in her Everton kit, that image was flashed up at Everton as he appealed to the worlds wealthy sporting personalities like Beckham etc, give us your cash, ordinary people too of course. Another was of Maddie being much younger aged about two, the complete antithesis to the Everton pic in that she had short bobbed hair. This man has never wanted people to be able to actually recognise his child, he has just wanted to sell her image and that is an image that as we know is infinitely variable. If you were going on holiday would you take two identical 6 x 4 images of one pic and the same with another with you, the size that does not fit in a wallet it normally sits in a photograph frame. What possible reason for any parent doing that could there be, other than he knew she was going to be "abducted"?

I remain absolutely convinced that this is one of the most damning pieces of evidence against Gerry McCann. He went to Portugal to dispose of Madeleine and then sell her image and he took those images with him to do so. It was a grave error but this man is reckless and arrogant. He has an uncanny ability to scheme and plot way beyond the wildest dreams of ordinary people. But he also has the other typical trait of psychopaths, impulsive recklessness and far too big an ego for his own good. Others traits include this grandiose sense of entitlement that Kate shares, we tell the police and governments what to do and they must do it. But they do not! Time and again this has caused him to make serious mistakes. This is what the police sit back and wait for him to continue to do. And like the true narcissist, Gerry just cannot resist the limelight, the fame and the money he still seems to believe he can make.